In February, close to 450 elephants were slaughtered in Bouba N’Djida National Park by poachers believed to originate from Sudan who entered Cameroon through neighbouring Chad. Prior to the latest attacks, there were believed to be fewer than 600 elephants living in the park.

According to John Scanlon, Secretary General of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), the incident “reflects a new trend we are detecting across many range States, where well-armed poachers with sophisticated weapons decimate elephant populations, often with impunity.”

In southeast Cameroon, rangers confiscated six firearms and 30 kg of elephant meat in the joint anti-poaching operation that involved rangers from Boumba-Bek and Nki National Parks.

An estimated 4,000 forest elephants are found in Boumba-Bek and Nki National Parks, where they are at risk from poaching groups who appear to have strong links with a sister group based in neighbouring Congo Brazzaville.

On 3-5th April, the Government of Gabon, with support from the US Government will be holding a regional workshop in Libreville, Gabon, in response to the growing threat of poaching and trafficking of protected and endangered species in the region.